Stable Time Loop
by A-Cola-Product
Summary: The Doctor regenerates and realizes he's met this version of himself before.
1. Chapter 1

He felt everything change as he regenerated; he should be used to it by now, but he wasn't. And then he was a new man, ready to take on the universe!

"Alright, new me!" he stretched. "New voice! Hello! ...sounds familiar. Must've run into this version of me before... Nice. Two legs, and I think this form's a keeper. Course, I can't really change now... Oh, yes, usual post-regeneration quirks to get out and all that. That'll be fun."

"Um...Doctor?" a small voice asked.

He turned. "How do I look?" he asked his companion. "Am I _ginger_? Please tell me I'm ginger. I've lost count of how many times I'm not ginger. It's ridiculous."

"Sorry, you're not ginger," she said, staring at him with an odd expression. "What happened to you? You're all... different."

"Regenerated, that's all. I was dying and to save myself, I changed every cell in my body. I _tried_ to tell you, but you wouldn't shut up about getting aspirin, which, for the record, you are not allowed to give me. Ever. Under any circumstances."

She frowned. "This is too much... I've fought monsters and faced ghosts and all kinds of aliens; you can't go changing your face on me. I want to go home now."

He supposed he'd always known she'd leave. She'd never been as excited about the strangeness of the universe as he'd been. Often, while he'd been laughing, she'd started crying. Ah, he missed the old companions. What he wouldn't give to see Rose, Martha, Donna, or Amy again.

"Alright. Home it is," he said, throwing the lever.

"Thank you."

They stepped out of the TARDIS. She gave him a rather stiff hug. "Are you _really_ the same person?" she asked, shaking her head. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter, now, does it?" And with that she was gone.

He watched her run into the house and hug her roommate, who waved confusedly to the Doctor. He smiled, then glanced at his reflection in the window.

_No._ He couldn't be. He wasn't... He ran back to the TARDIS, and into one of the bathrooms. He examined himself in the mirror. It was him, down to the last detail.

"No," he said, laughing. "No! All those times. And it was me! Figures. Oh!" he cursed under his breath. "That means I'll have to keep a stable time loop, which means... Oh, that's _great._ I get to be an idiot! How can I pull off _that_? I'm a _genius_ and he was... not."

The newly-minted Doctor retreated to the wardrobe room, digging out some typical, early 21st century clothing. It didn't fit his taste at all, really. He wanted... What did he want? He perused through the racks of clothing, stopping at combat gear. That's what he wanted. It was a shame he wouldn't be able to pass off as a normal human if went running around in that all day.

He returned to the console room, sighing, "Well, old girl, it looks like I'm going to have to trust you to take me to where I need to be to keep the time line from going wrong. All up to you," he pressed a few buttons and the TARDIS took off.

He opened the door and stepped into 2003, Earth. He smiled to himself and walked across the street. He twirled around, looking up at the houses he'd once been quite familiar with. Someone bumped into him.

"Sorry, mate," the girl said.

It took him a minute to form a reply, "No, s'fine. I was just looking around... Do you know if anyone's renting nearby?"

"Um, Mrs. Johnson was looking at getting a lodger... Were you looking on your own, or were you going to share with a girlfriend or someone?"

"Nah, it's just me. How can I get in touch with her? This seems like a nice place."

"Yeah," she said sarcastically. "Yeah, it's a great. Once you get past the ways it looks. And the people. And the incredible lack of things happening. I mean, if you can live with all that, it's a brilliant place."

He laughed.

"Here," she fished around her pockets and came up with a scrap of paper and a pencil. She scribbled down two numbers on the paper. "That's her number; her name's is Alice... and that's my number, if you need someone to show you around or something. I'm Rose," she said, shaking his hand. "And you are?"

He hesitated before saying the name he'd be using for the next few years, "Mickey; Mickey Smith."

"Nice to meet you," she grinned.

"See you around," he said.

"Yeah," she turned and disappeared up a flight of stairs.

"_Rose Tyler_," he whispered under his breath.

He laughed, unnerved by what had just happened. He, the Doctor, would pass for a human and become a companion. Who knew what would happen. Well, _he_ knew, of course. He'd be Mickey Smith, technological extraordinaire and 'tin dog' of the TARDIS. Of course, the TARDIS know who he was right away. To think she'd been hiding it from him all these years.

It dawned on him that this was 2003. For the next couple of years, he'd have to endure unimaginable horrors. He'd have to get a job, a place to live other than the TARDIS, and he'd have to pay _rent_.

Stupid stable time loop.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor found it easier to become a human than the last times he'd tried. He went through the TARDIS and found the basics he needed, along with a few extra things he could sell in the event of an emergency. Then he locked the TARDIS and left it in junk yard a few miles away from the Powell Estate, taping signs on it such as "Lost cat," "Looking for work," or "Have you seen this man?" for good measure. He stepped back to admire his work.

"Not the best look for you, but it'll have to do."

The flat was smaller than he would've liked. After all his time with the TARDIS, he kept expecting the closets to be bigger on the inside. He found work at a repair shop, what with his brilliant skills. Playing idiot was harder than it looked, however; he kept wanting to burst into technobabble.

Within a week after getting settled in, Rose payed him a visit.

"Hello," she smiled. "I'd heard you moved."

"Yeah," he smiled at her. _Rose. Rose. _His_ Rose._

"Well, I just came to say hello."

"Yeah."

"So where are you from?" Rose asked.

"Here, sort of."

"Oh."

"My..." Mickey had said something about a deceased grandmother, hadn't he? "I lived with my grandmother. Grew up with her. She passed away a few years back..."

"I'm so sorry."

"It was my fault. She fell down the stairs," _You're making up a sob story? What's wrong with you? Stop lying. This is taking Rule #1 to the extreme. "_I'd always told her I was going to fix it, but I never got around to doing it."

Rose frowned. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't _make_ her fall."

"I know." _Well, your grandmother is dead. And it _was_ your fault, you're just changing the details to make understandable to a human. That's all._

Rose started talking about her friends and her school, and it dawned on him that she was only seventeen. Still in school, no idea what was to come in a few years time. Saving the world, fighting monsters, getting her heartbroken... Part of him wanted to stop it all from happening. To stop him from ruining her life. But he couldn't. He really was a stupid, selfish old man.

"Well," Rose said, after a few hours of talking, "I should go. It's getting late."

_No, don't go. _"You could stay for dinner."

She smiled. "Um, I'm sorry. I have a date with my boyfriend. Maybe some other time."

_Oh, right. Boyfriend._ He should've remembered that. She'd had a boyfriend before "Mickey." Jimmy Stones, wasn't it? "Yeah, maybe another time."

She nodded. "Bye, Mickey."

"See you later."

As soon as he was gone, he ran to the junkyard and burst into the TARDIS.

"Access companion file: Rose Tyler."

Rose's voice interface appeared. "Rose Tyler," it said. "Born April 27th, 1987. Joined the TARDIS March 2005."

"I know that. What about her life? From 2003 to 2005. What happened then?"

"Records not available."

"Why not?"

"Foreknowledge denied."

"What? You mean I have to... just go with it?"

"Yes."

"Well that's no help."

"I know."

"Oh, you're getting a sense of humor now. That's nice. _Thanks a lot_,_ dear!_" he shouted as he left, earning stares from a few of the people passing by.


	3. Chapter 3

**Do not own, etc.**

"Mickey? Mickey, you awake?" Rose's voice called from behind the door.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shuffled to the door. "Good morning."

"Morning," Rose smiled.

In the three months he'd "known" her, his excitement at seeing her smile had never died down. "So, how're you?"

"Fine," Rose shrugged. "Want to get breakfast?"

Of course he agreed. They walked down to a shop on the corner and ordered chips for breakfast. Well, Rose did. The Doctor simply sat back and watched her, bemused.

When Rose finished, the pair of them wandered around, talking about the most mindless things. He loved it. The simplicity of not having to fight aliens. Just sit around, watch television, talk with Rose. He even found he liked football. He wasn't nearly as good at _playing_ it as his eleventh incarnation, but he enjoyed watching it.

As he and Rose walked, a rustling sound came from behind them. As he turned, he spotted a figure in a blue coat walking away.

_I went back in the Nineties, watched her grow up._

If there was one person he could tell, it would be Jack. Also, Jack needed a firm talking-to for still being around when Rose was at an age where she could remember him. One wrong glimpse, and the universe could implode. And explode. At the same time.

"Hey, Rose, could you walk on ahead for a second? I think I left something at the restaurant."

"I'll come with you."

"Nah, it's okay. I got it."

"Sure," Rose shrugged.

He smiled at her and raced toward the Captain. As soon as he was sure Rose wasn't paying attention, he shouted.

"Hey you!"

Jack stopped, half turning, keeping his face away from Mickey and his voice lower than normal, "What do you need?"

"I'm Mickey Smith," he said, forcibly shaking Jack's hand.

"Hi," Jack said. "I'm... Owen Harper. I've got to go. Sorry."

"You're _not_ going to cause a problem with the time line by talking to me," he said.

"What?" Jack stopped, gaping at him.

"It's me."

"You who?"

"Well, there are three guesses possible guesses here: One, I'm a future a version of Mickey, which is true in a manner of speaking. Two: I'm not Mickey, I'm an alien impersonating him, which is also partially true. Three: yours truly regenerated into the tin dog."

"What?"

"The Doctor," he said. "The whole time, it was me."

Jack stared. "_No._"

The Doctor nodded.

"No!"

"Yeah."

"But _Mickey—_"

"Was pathetic? Yeah. I have to live up to that standard, thank you very much. In some ways, I can't wait to regenerate again."

"That's really you, Doctor?"

He nodded.

Jack grinned and hugged him. "Oh, this is great! Though... I have to ask though, why'd you leave me?"

His smile faded. "... I can't explain."

"Why not?"

"Because you still didn't know by the time you caught up to me. We'll catch up."

"I will?"

"Yeah. You see a skinny bloke with really great hair, that's me."

Jack grinned. "I—I don't believe it."

Mickey nodded. "Also, be careful with all that Torchwood business. Seriously, control your team."

"It's been me and Suzie alone for awhile. Getting kinda dull. But we just got a new recruit: Toshiko Sato. Have you heard of her, in the future?"

The Doctor tried not to grin. "Yes, actually."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Well that's good... wait, have you heard of her in a good, saved-the-earth way? Or the bad, destroyed-the-world-with-her-technological-genius way?"

"You said nothing but good things about her," he said quietly. Give it four years, and Tosh would be dead. Saving the world, naturally.

"Oh... well that's always reassuring."

"Yeah. Look, I've got Rose waiting for me. I just wanted to say hello. And sorry that I will be insulting you in your past. Stable time loop and all."

Jack grinned. "No problem."

"Pop in a couple times. Say hi. It's making me crazy pretending to be not me."

"I would, but the team might get suspicious," Jack said.

"Well, probably for the better, anyways. The last thing I need is you asking me the life story of each member of your team when they pop up."

Jack laughed. "Time travel. Gotta love it... It's good to see you, Doctor."

The Doctor beamed. "Good to see you too, Jack."


	4. Chapter 4

He'd once declared, in an attempt to postpone his death— long story there— that he could help Rose Tyler with her homework.

So here he sat, trying to do just that. Rose grumbled unintelligibly, gnawing on the tip of her eraser while he tried to quiz her.

At last, she groaned, throwing her hands up in the air, "What does it matter if I know the square root of pi to the negative second power?"

He fought off the urge to say recreational mathematics could come in handy and that the answer was 0.318309886. Instead, he chose the simpler, "I dunno."

"It's not like I'm going to be in school much longer anyways."

"You've still got two years," he said.

"Less than that," Rose said.

"...My math is just fine— I went to school, see— You have two more years. You'll be eighteen when you graduate."

"I dropping out," Rose said.

"_What?_"

"Yeah," Rose nodded.

"Why?" he asked, struggling to remember the circumstances that had led to Rose's working in a shop. She'd said once that it was all Jimmy Stone's fault. Whatever that meant.

"Jimmy and I are—" Rose began.

"What!" his eyes widened, "You are _sixteen_! You can't!"

"Can't _what_?" Rose asked.

"Get married!"

Rose stared at him. "I'm not. _We're_ not. Wh- why would you even think that?"

"You're not?"

"No. And for the record, I'm _seven_teen!" Rose folded her arms.

"Sorry," he said.

Rose folded her arms. "Alright."

"So... what_ are_ you doing, then?"

"Just dropping out," Rose shrugged. "Moving in with Jimmy."

"Yeah, well, you're not doing that either."

"Oh, I'm not?"

"No. You can't throw your future away over some boy," he said. _And that's not at _all_ hypocritical, is it, Doctor?_ he thought to himself. He'd asked that of almost every companion. Of course he wasn't just some boy. He wasn't a boy. He was a man... sort of... a Time Lord... did that count...?

"Mickey, are you paying attention?"

"What?" he looked up.

"Nothing," Rose muttered.

"You're not quitting school," he said. "You've got your whole life ahead of you."

"So? Is there some reason I can't spend it with Jimmy?"

He quited for a few moments, then sighed. "Alright. If this is what you want, I'll shut up now."

Rose smiled, hugging him. "Thank you."

"But listen, missy, if it doesn't work out, and it ends in tears..."

"Don't come crying to you?" Rose guessed.

"No," he shook his head. "I want you to come crying to me. I'll always be here, got that?"

Rose smiled at him, "Thank you for understanding."

He shrugged.

* * *

><p>Within a month, Rose had dropped out of school and moved in with Jimmy. The Doctor visited her a week after she'd moved.<p>

"Hey!" Rose greeted him with a smile. "Come on in."

Mickey glanced around the small, one room flat. "It's not very big."

"There's only two of us," Rose shrugged. "It works."

A man appeared over her shoulder._ Sweet Rassilon_, he was big. He was tall, muscled, and everything the Doctor wasn't at the moment. It made him feel very small.

"Who's this?" the man asked.

"This is Mickey Smith," Rose said. "Mick, this is Jimmy."

Jimmy stared down at the Doctor. "You Rose's friend?"

"Yes."

"I'm her boyfriend. Keep that in mind."

"Jimmy," Rose moaned. "He's _just_ a friend."

"Whatever. I have to go," he kissed Rose. "See you."

"Bye," Rose said dreamily.

The door slammed behind him as he left.

"So what does he do for a living?" the Doctor asked.

"He's a musician," Rose said.

"Ah... Bet that makes_ lots_ of money."

"I thought you said you were going to shut up."

"I am, I am," he sighed. "I should be going too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I got to get down to the shop."

"Oh, alright," Rose said, hugging him. "See you later?"

"Course."

* * *

><p>As a few months passed, she seemed happy enough, although the Doctor still felt uneasy.<p>

"Relax," Jack said. "We both know she turns out okay in the end."

"I know. I'm just worried about her."

"What's there to be worried about? She's human. She's still a kid. She'll make plenty more mistakes in her life. Whatever happens here, I doubt it does any permanent damage."

"You're absolutely no help at all," the Doctor declared.

Jack shrugged and took a swig of his drink. "You didn't tell me this was going to be your attempt at a therapy session, Doc. You just said 'Hey, let's go out for drinks.' And now you're complaining to me about how your once and future girlfriend has dropped out of school for a musician."

"We were never together. Why does_ everyone_ think we were a couple?"

"Right," Jack nodded mock-seriously. "Of course not."

"The only reason I'm worried is because of the stable time loop. I don't know the full extent of what I'm supposed to be doing right now."

"Just go with it. Or better yet, screw the time loop and come work with Torchwood."

"No."

"What if I say please?"

"No."

"If I beg?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Torchwood hates me and wants me dead. If they find out I was working for it... as beautiful as the irony is, I don't imagine they'll be very forgiving of you."

Jack shrugged. "I can deal with it."

"What about Tosh and Suzie? Could they deal with the consequences?"

Jack frowned.

The Doctor shrugged, "Know what? Ask me in a year."

"What happens in a year?"

"Rose starts her travels with a younger me. I'm accused of murder and Jackie hates me. I'll most likely lose my job and that would be the perfect time for me to do a little Torchwood work."

"Excellent."

"You'll only have me for a year and it can't go on the record."

"I'll take what I can get," Jack grinned.

* * *

><p>As Jack was no help whatsoever in the Rose-and-Jimmy issue, the Doctor resorted to confiding his fears to Jackie Tyler, who agreed with him.<p>

"Now, I loved Pete, really, I did. But I wouldn't want that life for Rose," she said, frowning. "She's a smart girl. She deserves better than that."

"Was it that bad?"

"Yeah," Jackie sighed. "Never knew where our next meal was coming from. All those daft schemes of his. If they'd worked, I'd have never said another word. But they didn't; it almost destroyed our marriage. And then Pete died and I had to make my own way... I'm glad she's got you, though. You'll set her straight when this is all over, yeah?"

"You don't think it'll last?"

"I give it another month."

* * *

><p>Jackie was wrong; it lasted two more months. Money troubles came, Rose's happiness deteriorated rapidly, and she confessed her belief that Jimmy was having an affair.<p>

And then, six months after the whole thing had started, the Doctor woke in the middle of the night to rapid pounding outside his door.

Rose stood there, a suitcase in one hand, mascara running down her face.

"H-he l-left," she whispered through her tears.

He let out a long breath. "Come on in."

Rose sat down on the sofa, her head in her hands. "I was so stupid."

"Yeah," he nodded. "You were."

Rose looked up at him, glaring.

"What happened?"

"We were having an argument... and then he was just gone when I woke up. He left a note, saying that it wasn't working out and that by the time I read it, he'd be half way to Amsterdam with 'Noosh.'"

"Well that's stupid. Who has a name like Noosh?"

Rose glared at him again.

"I'm sorry," he sat down next to her.

Rose shrugged. "You were right."

"I'm always right."

"Shut up," Rose said.

The tea kettle shrieked, making both of them jump. The Doctor got it, pouring a cup for Rose. She took it, her hands trembling.

"This is just hot water," Rose noted.

"Right..." he said, taking it back and throwing it behind him absently. "How about I get some chips, then?"

"It's two in the morning," Rose said.

"I'll get them. I know just the place."

"Where?"

"Just stay here," he said, smiling.

"Alright," Rose curled up on the sofa while he ran out.

He raced down the street to the junk yard, opening the TARDIS and racing to the kitchen. After pressing several buttons, he had a brown bag full of warm chips.

"Thanks," he called to the TARDIS, racing back down the street to his flat.

"I guarantee, these will be the best chips you've ever—" he stopped.

Rose lay peacefully on the sofa, fast asleep.

He smiled fondly at her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Oh, Rose..."

**A/N: All the information I had on Jimmy Stone came off of the TARDIS wikia. I tried to make it work with canon as best I could. Also, this chapter was _impossible_ to write.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Regarding timing: The beginning of the story takes place in November or December of 2003. At this point in the story, it's later in 2004, so it's been almost a year. Getting closer to Rose's first meeting with the Doctor.**

**Disclaimer: Do not own. BBC owns. Blah blah blah.**

The Jimmy affair died down quickly enough. Rose was in debt £800. Against the Doctor's protests, she didn't go back to school, instead getting a job in a shop to pay off her debt.

Of course it was _the_ shop.

Rose's departure was less than a year away.

They'd started meeting up on her lunch break. He brought TARDIS-made chips, she brought everything else.

"Where do you get these?" Rose asked.

"Home made," he said.

"You have to give me the recipe... or whatever you do different to them. How are they so different from regular chip?"

"Well, actually, I change the molecular structure of them. Just a little bit of change in texture. And then I sprinkle this bit of crushed Zucta plant from Adipose 3. Adds a ridiculous amount of fat to it, but it makes it taste fantastic."

Rose giggled. "What?"

"I have no idea," he lied easily.

Rose nodded. "I should be getting back to work."

"Already?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe—" Rose's smile remained inviting and warm as ever, so he finished, "Maybe you could come to dinner with me tonight."

Her smile widened, tongue poking between her teeth in a Rose-ish manner. "Sure. Why not?"

"Really?"

"It's a date," Rose nodded. "Um... see you then?"

"Yeah. I'll pick you up."

"Good," Rose smiled and pranced off to the bus stop across the street.

It took him a minute to realize what had just happened.

Over the past few weeks, he'd found himself calling Jack for the stupidest of reasons. Rose had smiled at him. Rose most likely lost a board game on purpose for his sake. Rose had bought him a watch for his "birthday." Rose had laughed at his bad joke. Rose had kissed his cheek. The list went on to ridiculous lengths that annoyed Jack.

However, Jack was a better friend than anyone gave him credit for, and he listened to the Doctor's puppy-love-like squeals of joy over every "victory" in getting Rose to fall for him.

It was because of that reason that he called Jack immediately after Rose's acceptance to his date proposition, "Jack?"

"Kinda busy, Doc."

"Doing what?"

"Using a weevil as target practice."

"You're killing them? What did I _tell_ you about killing things, Jack?"

"It killed me first!"

"Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Cardiff. Don't bother coming over."

"Aw. Why not? Just a quick hop in the TARDIS—"

"It's not for my sake. _You're_ the one who's trying to be human and beneath suspicion. I gotta go, Doc."

"Wait!"

"What?" Jack sounded annoyed.

"I just asked Rose Tyler out on a date."

"And she said yes. Congratulations. I got a weevil to kill," Jack hung up.

The Doctor would've normally been bothered by Jack's lack of interest, but at the moment he was too happy. _She said yes!_

After he finished up work in the mechanic shop, he spent the rest of evening getting ready for his date.

It dawned on him then what he'd been reduced to. Giddy over a girl. Even if it was Rose, he felt very human. And teenager-y.

He showed up at Rose's flat at 6.

She wore a bright red dress, her hair swept out of the way in a bun, "Should we be going now?"

"Yeah," he gazed at her.

"Well, then," Rose smiled.

He held out his arm and the pair of them walked to his car. They drove to a restaurant in town that he'd been wanting to try for ages.

"Don't you need a reservation?" Rose asked.

He nodded. "I got one."

"How? I thought the waiting list was weeks out."

"I... have connections." Connections meaning psychic paper. This would be first time he'd used it in nearly a year.

They walked into the restaurant. Despite their fancy attire, both of them immediately felt under-dressed.

"Reservation?" the man asked.

"Yeah," he flashed the psychic paper the man's way.

"Right this way, Mr. Smith," the man gestured to a waiter.

The waiter led them to a quiet table in the back. Rose slid into her seat, gawking at the finery of the place.

"It's pretty here, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he wasn't looking at the atmosphere of the restaurant, however.

Rose noticed and blushed. She quickly turned her attention to the menu. "So... what do you think I sh— blimey, this stuff is expensive."

The Doctor looked down at the menu. Rose had it right. Ah, well. A little psychic paper goes a long way.

"Order what you like."

* * *

><p>All in all, the date wasn't a disaster. He walked Rose to the door, a stupid grin on his face.<p>

"That was nice," Rose said, her expression nearly as stupid as his.

"Yes."

"Thank you," Rose said.

"Yeah."

"Well... I'll see you tomorrow at lunch."

"Mhmm."

And quite suddenly the two of them were kissing.

* * *

><p>When he arrived back in his flat, the Doctor had to admit a <em>real<em> kiss was a fresh change of pace. This time, there was no ulterior reasoning behind it, no possession, genetic transfer, poisoning, or being assaulted by a fiery ginger on the night before her wedding. It was simply _because_.

Like it had always been with River...

He forced that thought out of his mind. For the past however-long-it-had-been, River Song had been a topic of taboo. The last night at Darrilium had been the worst night of his life, second only to the end of the Time War.

River and Rose would have gotten on well. Probably ganging up on him and teasing him into oblivion.

_"Have you caught him stroking the TARDIS console?"_

_ "_All the time_. You should hear what he calls her."_

_ "What?"_

_ "'Sexy.'"_

_ "But... It's a _machine_! Living or not."_

_ "I know! I feel like I should be jealous sometimes."_

He smiled at the thought. It would've been an absolute nightmare and yet he'd give anything for it.

There had been many times he'd thought about going to the library, to hack into the system and tell her how sorry he was for everything. But he'd never got up the nerve. A completely sorted-out-River frightened him more than spoiler-River.

Now that the taboo had been broken, he figured he might as well go all out. He went down the street to the TARDIS. She whirred happily as he entered.

"Hey, girl," he said, patting the console.

"This is non-emergency program one."

He spun around, startled at hearing the voice. _Her voice._

"_River._"

Her image stood beside him, a smile on her face. She wore that green dress he'd always loved.

"Sweetie, this is my own program on the TARDIS. I'm assuming our story has ended now. I want to tell you, I wouldn't have missed it for anything. I know you, so I don't feel at all proud when I say that I know you're having problems adjusting to never seeing me again. Our lives are back to front, my love. My beginning is the beginning of your fall. And my last meeting with you is your beginning, or so the TARDIS tells me.

"If you're hearing this, you've met someone new. Or old, if her life is anything like mine. I want you to move on, my love. I want you to be happy. You have a very, very long life ahead of you. I'm just one of the people you'll love. Whoever she is, if she makes you happy, then be happy. I love you, sweetie."

River blew him a kiss and vanished.

"Oh, River..."

* * *

><p>Jackie had spread the gossip around, and by the following week, all of Rose's friends new that she was going out with Mickey Smith, the mechanic.<p>

Mickey Smith, the mechanic.

The Doctor, Last of the Time Lords, the Lonely God, Destroyer of Worlds.

…

It was a bit of a drop in titles.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here it is! _Finally._ Episode One: Rose.**

Life continued on at a very human rate. Slowly, and in the right order. There were times when he was tempted to jump ahead in the TARDIS, but he forced himself to keep at a normal rate.

Christmas came and went. A few days after New Year's, Rose told him about a drunken man who insisted she was going to have a "really great year."

Ah yes, the companion tour. Why he'd been so sentimental about that regeneration, he would never understand.

* * *

><p>The day Rose's shop exploded was the day it all came crashing down on him.<p>

The fact that she didn't call him left him a bit annoyed; he raced to her flat. Jackie was busy gossiping and Rose was sitting on the couch, looking deflated

"I've been phoning your mobile! You've could've been dead. It's on the news and everything! I can't believe the shop went up," he hugged her.

"I'm alright. Honestly, I'm fine. Don't make a fuss."

"But what happened?"

"I dunno."

"But what was it, though. What caused it?" he was curious to see what her first impressions of him had been.

"I wasn't in the shop. I was outside. I didn't see anything."

"It's Debby on the end," Jackie interrupted. "She knows a man on the Mirror. Five hundred quid for an interview!"

"Oh, that's brilliant. Give it here," Rose took the phone and clicked it off.

Mickey smiled in pride.

"Well you've got to find some way of making money," Jackie lectured. "Your job's kaput and I'm not bailing you out."

The phone rang again and Jackie raced to gossip more. The Doctor looked down at the mug in Rose's hand.

"What you're drinking tea? No, that's no good. You're in shock. You need something stronger."

"I'm alright."

"No. You deserve a proper drink. You and me. We'll go down to the pub. My treat. How about it?" One last go, just the two of them.

"Is there a match on?" Rose guessed.

Darn. She wasn't going to take him seriously. "No, no just thinking about you, babe."

"There's a match on, ain't there?"

"Well that's not the point, but we could catch the last five minutes," he lied easily.

"Go on then," Rose smiled. "I'm fine, really; go. Get rid of that," she pointed at the hand.

He sighed, then waited. Rose sighed, leaning up and kissing him. He pushed her back onto the couch lightly and she chuckled.

As he picked up the hand, he smiled at the memory. Unable to resist, he waved the hand at her. "Bye, bye!"

"Bye," Rose said.

He held the hand to his throat, pretending to be strangled. Rose rolled her eyes at him.

He walked down the street and dumped the hand into a bin on his way out, sighing.

* * *

><p>Rose showed up at his house the following day.<p>

"Hey, hey, here's my woman," Really, he was sounding ridiculous at this point. Humanity was going to his head.

"Oh shut up," Rose rolled her eyes.

They kissed.

Probably the last time... he winced at the thought.

"Coffee?"

"Yeah. Only if you wash the mug," Rose said. "And I don't mean rinse. I mean wash."

His personal hygiene habits had taken a hit. But hey, at least he changed his clothes, unlike some of his previous incarnations.

"Can I use your computer?"

"Yeah," he agreed.

As she walked towards the door, a thought struck him, "Don't read my emails!"

He occasionally corresponded with Jack via email, as well as UNIT,_ very _occasionally. Another perfect way for him to screw up the timeline.

* * *

><p>"You're not coming in," Rose told him stubbornly. "He's safe. He's got a wife and kids."<p>

"But who told you that? _He_ did. That exactly what a lunatic internet murderer would say!"

Rose ignored him and got out the car, walking up to the house where Craig lived. He watched her go, frowning at how fast it was all happening.

When he saw the bin moving on its own, curiosity and the need to keep a time loop stable overwhelmed him and he walked over to it, opening it in one swift move. "Coming in."

Empty.

Dread welled up in him and he pulled away from the garbage can, only his hands were stuck to the plastic. Typical. Play an idiot long enough, and eventually some of the idiocy was bound to rub off on you.

The bin lid opened wider, looking like it wanted to eat him...

Where was a sonic screwdriver when you needed it?

* * *

><p>When he woke, he recognized where he was: underneath the London Eye.<p>

"Doctor?" the nestene consciousness was practically laughing at him. Well, in a roaring monster sort of way.

"Yeah. I'm just going to stay out of this one," he said.

"As long as you don't interfere with our plans, you will be allowed to live."

"Thanks," he said, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

* * *

><p>"Mickey!" Rose was running towards him. "It's me! It's okay. It's alright."<p>

Behind her, his Ninth incarnation rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"The thing down there. The liquid thing. It can talk!" he said, trying to play the part of a confused, frightened Mickey.

"Doctor, he's alive!" Rose called.

"Yeah. That was always a possibility," the younger Doctor allowed. "Keep him alive to maintain the connection."

"You knew and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?"

Mickey could barely keep from laughing.

The younger Doctor walked over and began berating the alien on breaking the Shadow Proclamation. Then the TARDIS was revealed and the terrified nestene consciousness began the invasion. Somewhere above, people were dying... panic filling the streets. Shop window dummies coming alive and killing everyone in sight. He shuddered at the thought.

Mickey and Rose rushed to the TARDIS, trying to open it.

"I haven't got the key," Rose cried.

"We're gonna die!" he shouted. His memory, despite being very good, was no where near pefect. And what Mickey Smith was doing the first time he met Rose Tyler had never been something he felt he_ should_ remember. So he resorted to whatever he felt Mickey Smith would do. And that was pounding onto the doors of the TARDIS, wanting nothing more than to be let in.

Beside him, Rose was getting to her feet.

"Just leave him!" he shouted stupidly. "There's nothing you can do!"

Partially because he wanted her to get out, in the middle of it all. Time could be rewritten, couldn't it? Rose could die here and now and there was nothing he could do to stop it. But if she didn't save him down there, he wouldn't be here now. Stupid timey wimey ball of stuff...

Rose ignored him and raced away, grabbing onto a chain and swinging down, knocking over some dummies and altogether saving the day like the heroine he knew her to be.

The younger Doctor rushed over, opening the TARDIS and allowing Mickey and Rose inside.

The TARDIS reacted strongly to his presence, seemingly very uncomfortable with two versions of him being there at once, fearing he might cause a paradox.

_I'm sorry, girl_, he thought.

When the TARDIS landed, he rushed out of the door, diving into the street. Rose followed him out, calling Jackie to make sure she was alright. Jackie babbled, and Rose chuckled.

"Fat lot of good you were," Rose said, running over to him. She turned back to the Doctor, smiling.

"Nestene consciouness, easy," the younger Doctor said with a snap of his fingers.

"You were useless in there," Rose declared. "You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."

"Yes, I would; thank you," he nodded. After a moment's pause, he smiled, "Right then. I'll be off. Unless, I dunno, you could come with me. This box isn't just London only. It goes anywhere in the universe, free of charge."

"Don't," Mickey said, grabbing onto her legs like a child. More than anything, he wanted to have more time with her. "He's an alien. He's a thing!" Yes, a very convincing argument towards the girl who befriends Daleks.

"He's _not_ invited," the younger Doctor scowled. "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep. Or you could come with me and go, well, anywhere."

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," the younger Doctor gave her a manic grin.

"Yeah, I can't. I gotta go phone my mum. And someone's got to look after this stupid lump."

"Okay. See you around," his face fell. He closed the door and the TARDIS dematerialized.

"Come on, let's go," Rose said, taking his hand and starting to walk away.

And then the sound returned, the younger Doctor poked his head out, "By the way, did I mention? It also travels in time."

Rose looked at Mickey, "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?" This was it... and he wasn't ready.

"Exactly," Rose raced into the TARDIS.


	7. Chapter 7

He returned back to his flat, suddenly realizing just how alone he was. And how quiet it would be without Rose.

He sighed, then grabbed a backpack, throwing together a few things he'd need in Cardiff. After one last glance around the flat, he took off to the TARDIS and headed to Cardiff a few hours earlier that same day.

He'd barely opened the door when Jack tackled him in a bear hug. "Ha! Ha! You're here!"

"Yes, sir. Mickey Smith reporting for duty, sir."

Jack grinned. "Come on in! You can meet the team."

"Where's 'in'?"

"The invisible lift," Jack jerked his head across the street. "It's where you typically park the TARDIS. I'm glad she didn't park there now. It'd lead to a lot of awkward questions from the team."

"Such as..?"

"I'm assuming you'd like to pose as a _human_ whilst working here?"

Oh. Right, yeah. Probably better that way," he nodded.

"Good," Jack smiled. "Come on."

They walked across the street and stepped onto the invisible lift.

"Going down," Jack said, and the lift jolted downwards.

"Back already, Jack?" a female voice asked as they stepped off.

"For now. Suzie Costello, Mickey Smith."

The Doctor shook her hand enthusiastically. "_Dr_. Mickey Smith."

"Oh?" Suzie smiled. "We've been meaning to get a doctor around here."

"Yeah," Jack nodded, patting Suzie's shoulder. "But it's not of medicine."

"Of everything," the Doctor countered.

"A doctor of _everything_?" an Asian woman came in from around the corner. "How is that even possible?"

He blinked. He'd met her before. A very long time ago, when she'd been posing as a UNIT doctor during World War III... "You must be Toshiko Sato! It's an honor, Tosh."

"Oh, thank you," Tosh blushed and turned to Jack, "What lies have you been telling him about me?"

Jack shrugged innocently.

"So we _still_ need a medic," Suzie narrowed her eyes at the Doctor.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "But Mickey here is good with just about everything. Aren't you, Mickey?"

"Yeah. Especially aliens. I've been dealing with them for quite a while now on my own. That's how Jack and I met." The truth could occasionally be more misleading than lies.

"Ah," Tosh said. "Well... I need to get back to work."

"Same here," Suzie said.

"Weapons expert?" the Doctor asked.

Suzie nodded. "How could you tell?"

"Lucky guess," he shrugged. "And I feel the need to establish here and now that I'm not here forever. I have a year, and then there's some things I need to take care of. After that, I might stop in from time to time, but it won't be permanent."

"Well, Jack, Tosh, and I have been doing just _fine _on our own."

"Except we _do_ need a medic," Tosh said, returning to her computer.

"Suzie, why don't you show Mickey around the Hub?" Jack suggested.

"Why _me_?"

"Because I have a pile of UNIT paperwork to sort through."

Suzie glared. "Alright, Mr. Smith, come on."

As Suzie led him throughout the Hub, she offered clipped explanations for everything, refusing to go into detail unless interrogated.

"I'll have to admit, I have no idea why he hired you, if you're not a real doctor. No matter how good you are with aliens, we don't need you."

"What's that supposed to mean? 'Real doctor'? I'm _a_ doctor. I know a bit of this and a bit of that. Plus, it's sort of a favor. I saved his life... several times. And the next year is going to be very boring considering my girlfriend's ran off with some idiot."

Suzie blinked. "What?"

"Eh," he shrugged. "Anyways, I figure I could 'use my powers for good.' Plus, I think I'm needed here. Torchwood has never been known for their competence in the past and I'm-"

Suzie's jaw dropped a bit, "What do you mean competence?"

"I just mean, Torchwood's spent all its time working to fight aliens, and yet-" he stopped and laughed.

"What?"

He shook his head, grinning at her.

* * *

><p>After several hours of sitting around chatting with the Torchwood team and waiting for a potential apocalypse, he returned home to find Jackie had left him a dozen phone calls asking about Rose.<p>

"No, I haven't seen her," he said. "Not since Friday."

"It's strange. It's not like her to be gone this long."

"I'm sure she'll turn up," he lied.

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the long wait to get this up. I've been busy during the holidays.**


End file.
